


My Heart Is Yours Alone

by SilentScreamer



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-03
Updated: 2012-07-03
Packaged: 2017-11-09 02:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentScreamer/pseuds/SilentScreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seeing your lover unconscious puts everything in perspective. While waiting for Tim to come back to him, Gibbs remembers the highlights and lowlights of their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Heart Is Yours Alone

Waking up this morning, Gibbs saw the sunshine peeking through the rainclouds that swathed the city in a monotonous gray color for the better part of the last week, and he figured that today would be an okay day.

There have been relatively few exceptionally good days over the years since he received the call informing him that Shannon and Kelly—the two good parts in his life were killed by Pedro Hernandez. That day in the desert, surrounded by death and destruction, made Leroy Jethro Gibbs feel a feeling that he had never much associated himself with—he felt powerless and out of control. Gibbs vowed to never feel such emotions again, and that was why he wormed his way into Franks initial investigation into his families deaths, why he meticulously planned the gunning down of Hernandez, and why he searched for his place in life after his successful completion of the Hernandez mission.

Driving back over the Mexico/ American border Gibbs has felt hollowly satisfied. In the moment in that bunker as his finger grasped harshly at the trigger he felt accomplished and at peace in a way that had eluded him the previous several months. But a melancholy feeling erupted in the pit of his stomach as he disassembled the sniper rifle and headed back to his truck. That feeling came from the successful completion of one mission but also with the sudden realization that there was nothing left. Now that the mission was over there was no burning desire within him any longer, there was no longer a sole direction driving his existence.

He no longer was in the Core, something that had kept him in line for the better part of five years, there was no one waiting at home to be tucked in or made love to, and that feeling of aimlessness was hard to ignore.

After trying to find the answer at the bottom of bourbon and in the swift sounds of sanding, Gibbs little by little dug him out of the hollow hole that the deaths of Shannon and Kelly had caused.

However, despite gaining employment Gibbs carried around the Hernandez secret, the secret of his past family, and a thousand other ones and those secrets haunted him in his sleeping and waking hours from time to time. Those secrets were stark reminders of the ways in which Gibbs had failed in life, and they were demons that prevented him from getting close to anyone of value.

Yet, as Gibbs today looked over at his bed partner—one that had taken up a semi permanent residence—Gibbs realized that maybe those demons were getting dimmer with time.

Looking down at his sleep laxed lover Gibbs allowed the ghost of a smile to flutter to his face and he slowly dipped his head down until his lips met unmarred and perfect skin.

Kissing his lover, Gibbs felt an electricity seep into his body and he felt emotion wash over him and he was never amazed at how every morning those same feelings fluttered through his stomach.

“Stop thinking, I can hear it over here,” the sleepy man muttered in a gravely down laden with sleep.

Smiling, Gibbs merely ghosted another kiss to the man’s plump lips.

“Over thinking is my department Jethro,” Timothy McGee said as he reached one of his hands up and snaked it around his lover’s neck to bring his face closer to his before laying an early morning kiss of his own on his lover.

Huffing out a short laugh Gibbs mischievously said, “joint shower?”

“Well I do like the idea of conserving more energy Jethro,” Tim said just as seductively as his lover.

So, yeah, pulling the sheets and duvets off one another and walking to the en-suite bathroom Gibbs could say that maybe today would even be an exceptionally good day. It seemed as though he had more good days, less awful days, and more exceptional days since he head slapped the naive rookie and welcomed Tim to the team, to his life.

Oh, but even Gibbs gut had to be wrong some days and over the course of a few hours a perfectly exceptional day turned into a nightmare that rivaled his life in the early days following the death of his girls.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

It was supposed to be a routine call out, Leon was on the team’s case about getting a more accurate witness statement from Mario Valetti so that JAG would have a more solid case against their prime suspect.

Gassing up the sedan Tony called shotgun, while Tim and Ziva piled into the backseat. Soon Gibbs was speeding out of the parking lot towards Alexandria, and as he let the banter between his team—no his family—was over him he was struck that the morning that started with a leisurely blowjob in the shower was getting even better.

But looking out the window Gibbs could see the faint outlines of rain clouds moving ominously closer till it seemed like the whole sky was enveloped in the dreary color.

That should have been clue one that the day was about to go to shit…

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Gibbs hails down a taxi outside the Valetti home and in one shaky breath says that he’ll pay triple the normal fair if he can be at Bethesda Naval Hospital within the next ten minutes.

The cabbie, while looking at the man as if he was crazy, said “your on!”

Nine minutes later Gibbs was frantically pushing at the cab door while reaching into his pocket and throwing a wad of bills at the cabbie before racing into the hospital like a bat out of hell never sparing the yellow car another glance.

The cabbie shook his head before rolling up the money and wondering how he made it to the hospital with rush hour traffic and traffic accidents derailing all short cuts but decides that rather than dwell on the situation he would text his girl Jenny and tell her that they don’t need to worry about this month’s rent.

Good day for him, but he couldn’t help but wonder what sort of hell that silver haired man was in cause he raced out of the car like it was diseased and even though he tried to exude calmness he saw the faint tremor in the man’s hand through his rear view mirror.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

“So McGeek you gonna watch the meteor shower this weekend…seems like a McGeek thing to do,” Tony ribs his wingman from the front seat.

Scrunching up her brows Ziva interjected before Tim had even formulated a coherent thought saying “Would that not hurt. I mean who would want to watch rulers fall from the sky?”

“Meteor shower Ziver. Its where all these space rocks radiate from the sky,” Tony huffed out a few minutes slower than normal because come on she had been in the United States for years she shouldn’t be mixing up these simple idioms still.

Solemnly nodding Ziva’s head seemed to dawn in comprehension before saying, “well that seems a lot less painful then what I described does it not? So Tim will you watch” Ziva said with a smirk knowing that he was an astrology and meteorology buff.

Again, before Tim could answer Gibbs said, “Mhmm we have the backyard all set up.” Looking at the knowing smirk Tony was sending his lover he knew that the older man thought that there was more to the date that the two had penciled into their calendar weeks ago, but really they were just going to watch the stars.

Gibbs smirked thinking about all the summer nights that the pair had spent lounging on a blanket looking up at the constellations and how each night usually ended with Tim falling asleep with his back pressed into the strong chest of his lover.

Coming back to the present Gibbs heard Tim laughingly say, “Yes Tony we really just watch the stars.”

Smirking Gibbs knew that while Tim loved the stars he really indulged in this because of the fact that Gibbs used to watch the stars with his girls, and watching the same constellations with Tim there made it seem as though he still had a connection to them.

“Yes Tony please stop thinking those dirty thoughts no need to fill our heads with bad images” Ziva jumped in saying.

“Guys…” Tony said before he was shut up by the patented Gibbs glare and the rest of the ride was passed in eerie silence, silence that while not seeming forced was odd.

It was the calm before the storm.  
………………………………………………………………………………………..

“I am here to see Timothy McGee” Gibbs says in an authoratitive voice that when he thinks back on this moment he will have no idea how he managed to pull off.

The frazzeled nurse, Becky, who has been on since 6 a.m. yesterday has seen countless wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, and all assorted family members filter through the emergency room check in during the last day bites out a “hold on,” in a mean voice that her coworkers later on will say is so very unlike her.

Glaring daggers at the woman standing in front of him, just another person in a lomng line of people that are standing between him and his lover, however the looks doesn’t seem to phase the women. Gibbs also finds that he doesn’t have enough energy to stay angry, staying angry takes too much energy, and that is precious energy that he does not have.

Sparing a long look upwards a minute or so later Becky says, “He was brought in about twenty minutes ago and is in the E.R. being treated. Your relation?”

“He is my…..” Gibbs begins but cannot find the right words to finsish that thought and before his racing mind can conjure of any response Becky shoos him away and down the hall.

Another waiting room filled with people…but they one key person is still out of Gibbs grasp and he hollowly flops into a seat waiting for the doctor.  
…………………………………………………………………………….

Almost twenty minutes later Gibbs mutters, “my everything. He is my everything.”

But Becky isn’t here to hear it. Despite being in a room filled to the brim with people a feeling of loneliness stabs as his chest.  
………………………………………………………………………………….

Stepping out of the car Gibbs and company begin the shirt ascent up the lived in pathway of the Veletti household until the sound of bullets assaults their ears.

Always one to think on his feet Gibbs dove behind a rather lanky shrub while on auto pilot reaching for his Sig to prepare to return fire.

Caught up in the moment Gibbs only allows his body to react and catalogue the essential movements and sounds because right now his body is in survival mode. While he is getting up there in age he feels as though his body has always been in survival mode and so the mode washes over him like a well insulated blanket.

He hears guns going off and hazes of bullets fly by his head and he can no longer tell what is friendly fire and what is hostile fire  
Hearing the screeching of tires and the absence of ammunition only the does Gibbs allow his body to relax a smidgen.  
“You okay Gibbs?” he hears Ziva say distantly from a spot near his left.

“Fine.” Gibbs gruffly says even though nothing about this scene can be categorized using such an adjective.

Grunting and heaving his lungs to work properly Tony squeaks out, “I’m good boss.”

Then silence once again descended on the scene.

Silence that unlike the one met in the car does seem contrived.

Silence that seconds later was tattered open with the wheezing sounds of Tim saying, “Been hit.”

The broken silence was met with a dizzy array of orders for ambulances, yells of cover the scene, and pleads to “stay with me Tim.”  
Looking back Gibbs craved that silence and stillness because the commotion erupting with Tim as the epicenter seems too cruel.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Twenty minutes after Gibbs made is hasty entrance, and some fort five minutes since the exceptional day was shattered Gibbs looked up to see Ziva, a crying Abby, sole men Ducky, Tony, and an out of his elemnt autopsy gremlin walked through the same doors but they looked a lot more together than he had.

“Any news Jethro?” Ducky said breaking yet another silence.

Looking his friend in the eye he said, “still working on him,” before looking away again unable to see the haunted look in the man’s eye. That look came from having to do too many autopsises on close friends throughout the years and from several other close calls.

The team scattered into chairs around the general vicinity of Gibbs and Ducky.

For once, Tony the joker and man who had a wisecrack to fill any void in conversation had no idea what to say, and that scared him.  
Something about seeing your partner, friend’s, life blood seep through your hands has a sobering effect.

Ziva, nearest to Gibbs, whispered silent Hebrew prayers for her gentle friend who was always there with a kind word and a smile whenever needed. Those two things were even there when she replaced Kate and that feeling of warmth that the initial smile brought to her, was a feeling that she never let go of.

Abby was clinging to Jimmy and silent tears were running down her face knowing that if Timmy died that maybe this would be it for the team. After all there were only so many times your heart and resilience could be shattered without irreparable damage being done. Sometimes, after certain tragedies you realize that the pieces no longer fit together…..

While each member was lost in thought hoping and praying that their comrade would pull through, each held memorandum is silence.

Sweltering silence……  
…………………………………………………………………..

Gibbs and Tim’s first date was Murphy’s law bad.

After years of breathing in the same air and being in the same circle the two finally decided to stop beating around the bush and divulge their feelings.

But the date….yeah not so good. Only memorable because it was such an unmitigated disaster.

The team had caught a case the day before the supposed date, a bad one, one involving dead children which was the type of case that always seemed to set Gibbs one edge and make him really earn that second b in his name.

Even with the case wrapped up the next day thanks to the dumb criminal not being all that smart and cleaning up the blood spatter afterwards which led to one perfect shoe print that could be easily traced bad to their perp.

But even with the case wrapped up Gibbs couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness and of failure at not being able to save the kids in the first place.

So, rather than meet Tim at the low key diner they agreed to have dinner at, Gibbs thought it better to drown out the memories of sweet children’s shampoo with bourbon, and sanding to silent the whispers he was so sure he could still here.

Only the slamming of the upstairs door, maybe he did need to rethink the whole open door policy, and the ragged breathing of one very pissed off Timmy McGee could chase the stupor away.

“Three hours Jethro,” Tim said miserably before adding, “I waited three hours for you to show up. After the first hour I just thought you were running late, after 90 minutes I thought you were standing me up, and after 120 minutes I had no idea what to think.”

Blinking away the drunken cobwebs from his eyes Gibbs whispered, “Then what are you doing here?”

Rolling his eyes Tim said “the hell if I know” before landing hard on the bottom basement stair.

Looking around the room, a room that held so many mixed memories Gibbs tried to regulate his breathing and think of the right words to convey what he wanted to say.

“I get it Jethro. I know that the case got to you and I know why it did” Tim said while standing up and stalking over to the table where Gibbs was sitting at.

After a few minutes of silence he brokenly moans out, “I don’t want to be like this anymore.”

Tim did what any other person in his situation would do, he gathered up the battered, but not broken—Gibbs was many things but broken was not one of them—and he just held him while Gibbs came to the realization that saying he didn’t want to be the same person anymore was a step in the right direction.  
……………………………………………………………………………………….

The first date may have been a wash out, a dud, but the first kiss now that was memorable.

Oh yeah.  
………………………………………………………………………………………….

The sweltering and oppressive silence was broken up after god knows how long with the words, “Family of Timothy McGee.”  
Faster than he though possible Gibbs was out of his seat and across the room and was now standing in front of a tall, burly man in sweat filled scrubs.

“That’s us” Gibbs gruffly said while he silently put on the Leroy Jethro Gibbs badass investigator mask because putting on the Leroy Jethro Gibbs boyfriend mask made him less confident in situations like this.

Looking down at the chart and steeling himself for the unpleasant task ahead, Dr. Bohamti said, “Agent McGee lost quite a lot of blood both at the scene and then here at the hospital. The bullet nicked the femoral artery which caused the massive blood loss, however we were able to transfuse him and put the blood back in,” the doctor rushed to add seeing the crestfallen expressions of the odd conglomerate of people in front of him. “In addition to the blood loss he sustained a minor concussion in the initial fall and the concussion put a mild pressure on his brain but we were able to alleviate the pressure. The concussion and the swelling should clear up in a few days, however we have put him in a medically induced coma for the time being.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Obviously the lover’s first date was an emotional roller coaster and for that reason all the new couple does is cuddle up under a duvet and sleep until both their alarms blared awakening them to the start of a new day.

Date two, a date kept, went marginally better than the first one because at least Gibbs showed up at the diner even if both were dead on their feet after coming off a 77 hour stakeout.

Dates three and four never happen because first Tim has to deal with sister problems in which Sarah was freaking out over her thesis, and before date four can happen Gibbs gets an unexpected visit from his father.

On date five Jethro was pretty sure that he and Tim were going to finally debauch one another but halfway home a dead sailor turned up in Rock Creek Park.

So, when Gibbs exits work at seven o’clock before date six Tim is already waiting for him in front of his Chevy truck and he grabs the keys out of his hand and pushes Gibbs towards the passenger seat.

Once in the car and on the road Tim looks shyly over and said, “haven’t we been denied long enough Jethro” and looking at the shy face Gibbs could see the seduction lingering beneath his words.

“Step on it” was all Gibbs said allowing his lips to quirk up a bit at the ends.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Gibbs feels Abby plaster onto his sides like an octopus as he nears the door that houses his lover. Finally, Gibbs thinks there is nothing but a door standing between him and Tim; but that door never seemed so heavy before.

Feeling Abby squeeze his waist, Gibbs takes the handle in hand and pushes through the doors.

Despite hearing and taking in everything that the doctor said in the waiting room nothing could prepare Gibbs for the site that beheld him.

Tim looked so much younger under the artificial lights and the tubes and wires bunched up around his body made the man seem more like a machine than a living person.

Gibbs had never seen Tim this way. This was not his Tim. The Tim he knew was vibrant for life and was constantly in motion—he was constantly trying to work through things.

This Tim was pale and silent so unlike the chatter box that Tim usually could be once you really got him going on some latest gadget or gismo.

Moaning Gibbs mumbled “I need you to be okay.”

Momentarily forgetting that Abby was still there he felt the squeeze of his shoulder and heard the encouraging words, “I know.”  
…………………………………………………………………………………

A well kept secret was that Gibbs was a master in the kitchen. Tim loved coming home and wrapping his arms around Jethro’s waist and sneaking in for a first taste of the meal.

He loved those moments not because of the fact that his lover was a great cook, because let’s face it he was an awesome cook, but rather he enjoyed what those moments allowed and symbolized. In those moments Gibbs let his defenses down, and in those moments he allowed his playful side show.

Tim loved just being in those moments and felt cherished that he got to see a side of Jethro that few others had ever seen.  
Gibbs loved those moments too—but for a different reason—he loved having the chance to reconnect with someone and that he had someone to cook for.

Those were two things that had been sorely lacking in his life.  
…………………………………………………………………………………….

Taking courage from the reassuring squeezes that Abby freely gave Gibbs tentatively walked towards the bed.

Stopping at the side of the bed, Gibbs was still hesitant to close the small distance between the pair and was afraid to touch Tim.

He was afraid that if he picked up Tim’s hand that he would break and that all these worse would disappear and instead he would be left with nothingness.

But Gibbs was never one to dwell on things that he could not fix often, he tentatively reached out and grasped Tim’s hand and was pleased that no monitors shrieked and that his lover was in fact still there.

So, Gibbs did what he did best—adapt to situation and used his foot to snag the chair nearest the bed and he quietly sat down whilst never letting go of Tim’s hand.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………..

To this day neither Gibbs nor Tim knows what exactly started that fight, but what they both remember was the clingy possessiveness that overtook both and led the pair to tumble into bed and each holding the other as if they were the other’s lifelines to this life.  
……………………………………………………………………………………….

Gibbs is thankful that Tim’s hand isn’t cold and that there seems to be a warmth there the he had not expected.

He sat there rubbing nonsensical patterns on the back of Tim’s hand and wonders whether that action brings any comfort to Tim cause he knows that it sure as hell calms him down.

He is also thankful that the team takes shifts and rotates in and out so as to not crowd the room and the intimate moment that each feels as though they are interrupting.

As Ziva is leaving she reaches down and kisses Tim’s head and while Tim was none the wiser he knows that seeing the tenderness helped him.  
………………………………………………………………………………………..

The night the pair gets engaged is low key.

It goes like this:

Tim was sitting on the couch clinging to Gibbs side in such a manner that makes the older man wonder whether his lover was a limpet in a previous life, and the pair is watching the baseball game on tv.

As is it was possible, Tim tightens is hold on the older man and shyly says, “hi” in that adorable way that makes Gibbs weak in the knees.

Looking away from the action of the ballgame Gibbs says, “hey” before taking a swig of the beer that Tim had gotten him.  
Both went back to watching the baseball game but a few minutes later Tim broke that easy going silence that settles between the pair every so often, but the silence Gibbs thinks is never stifling.

“We should get married.”

Swiveling his head to follow the gaze of his lover Gibbs takes a moment to think—to think about how the ways the pair are already married. Tim had been living with him for the past year. Also both had changed their emergency contact information so that the other was their medical proxy, and both had started the paperwork needed to open a join bank account.

So, yeah in many respects the pair was already married or living the life of a married couple.

So, while in the past Gibbs would be hesitant to take the plunge he found himself saying, “yeah we should,” and Gibbs wrapped his hand around Tim’s neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Breaking the kiss Tim settled further against Gibbs and both went back to the ballgame.

It was low key but in all the ways that matter that was the way that particular scene had to play out.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Tim’s ring has been removed and now Gibbs hold the platinum band between his fingers. Looking at the ring, Gibbs unconsciously begins playing with his and wishing that he could do something.

Anything.

Gibbs wishes that he could somehow transfer some of his heart beats to his lover so that he would be okay again, so that he wouldn’t feel so alone.

But for right now, Gibbs settles for palming the ring and trying to think about all the good memories associated with the ring, as well as think of all the good that can still occur.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Reading through this a reader might get the wrong idea—they may think that Tim and Jethro’s relationships was all roses and perfect.  
Far from it actually.

Gibbs remembers their fights, and while they don’t happen often, there are a few that stand out.  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“I love you” Gibbs huffs out as he sits on the outside deck near his lover. Not quite as close as he would like but close enough where he can feel the heat radiating from his lover.

Tim would have probably lit up at those words, seeing as how that was the first time that the silver haired fox had ever said them to him, but he rallies to remain angry.

“I love you,” Gibbs repeats before adding, “You are smart, funny, and fix all my phones faster than anyone I have ever known.”  
“Great you love me for my technological prowess then?” Tim gravels outs.

“Yes,” Gibbs mutters before adding, “but I also love you because you make me better, and you make me want to combine the work and personal mugs.”

Tim gravitates towards that voice that his heart seems to be drawn to and swallows past the lump in his throat so he can get the “forgiven” out.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Doctors and nurses pitter patter in and out of Tim’s room but the one constant is Gibbs who never leaves his side.

While Tony, Ziva, Abby, Jimmy, and Ducky all rotate in and out Gibbs stays.

He is rooted in that chair and is determined not to leave until those green eyes flutter open.

Gibbs finds his hands gravitating towards Tim’s pulse point to serve as yet another reminder that Tim is still tethered to this life.  
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Shortly after Ducky enters the room and looks at Tim’s vitals and chart Gibbs breaks the otherwise uninterrupted silence.

“It’s my fault,” Gibbs breathes out.

Taking off his glasses and cleaning them out of habit Ducky says, “Look here Jethro this is not your fault. The only ones that deserve blame are the ones who opened fire on you in an attempt to spook the witness. That boy needs you to be strong. So never say that again!”

As the speech went on and on Ducky slowly gravitated towards Jethro until he was standing my his longtime friend’s side.  
“But if I had been quicker or more aware,” Gibbs began before being cut off when he felt a weathered hand connect lightly to the base of his skull.

“Stop that logic right there Jethro otherwise I’ll be forced to use harder Gibbs’ slaps” the Scottish man breathed out.  
Gibbs never said another word, but when Ducky made move to leave and go and occupy the other side of the bed, he is stopped by a weak hand squeeze.

Rather than draw attention to the moment Ducky simply returned the squeeze and stood on guard near the two men that meant as much to him as like itself.  
……………………………………………………………………………………………..

The wedding that the pair has is a simple, small, and elegant affair—perfect for the simple men being joined in marriage.

Everyone that matters is there.

Sarah, Penny. Tim’s mom Jackie and his father Richard are there.

Richard had been a surprise guest seeing as though Richard never really approved of his son’s alternative lifestyle, but he was a welcomed guest nonetheless especially after Gibbs saw his lovers eyes light up brighter than a Christmas tree when he saw his father.

Then the team is there along with a few Marine buddies that Gibbs was still close with, and the Vance’s.

Sarah and Abby were Tim’s best men seeing as how he could never pick between the two, and Ducky was his.

So, yes it lacked fanfare and all the food cooked at the reception was handmade, but in every way that mattered it was perfect.

Because in the end both men got each other which was who they wanted in the first place, and really that is all that matters.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………

It is a full two days before Tim opens his eyes, and when it happens Gibbs feels as though he can finally breathe, and he feels as though life finally came back into focus and light.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

Gibbs finally relented and went home after being properly chastised by both Tim and Jackie Vance saying that he looked like death warmed over, and that he needed to take care of himself.

In all actuality taking one look at Tim’s face and seeing that concerned look was all he needed to be convinced.  
He needed Tim to rest and take it easy so he could come home faster.

So, finally Gibbs left but only long enough to shower, put on fresh clothes, feed Jethro, and grab some food.

When he returns Vance is sitting by Tim’s bed reading over case files while Tim slept.

Leon peered over the case file long enough to make eye contact with the functional mute before going back to the work.

No words needed to be said.  
………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tim is groggy and for all intents and purposes out of it for the first few days after his initial wakeup due to the fact that the doctor’s were still weaning him off his medications.

However, slowly Tim stayed awake for five, ten, and then thirty minutes at a time. At a snail’s pace Tim began interacting and engaging in conversations with his victors.

In no time he is trading barbs with Tony, correcting Ziva’s broken idioms with a smile, and withstanding Sarah and Penny’s mother henning.  
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Two weeks after the initial attack, and 11 days after he finally woke up Tim McGee awoke happy.

Today he would finally be released, and while he would have to take it easy and be on restricted duty for a bit, he was happy to be able to go home.

He missed cuddling with Jethro, eating heavenly food, and playing with Jett.

Swiveling his head he saw Gibbs hunched over in the hospital chair and he reaches his hand over and begins to run his hands through the silver locks.  
………………………………………………………………………….

Gibbs woke up to the sensation of soft fingers running along his scalp. Not wanting to break the moment but feeling the pinch in his neck Gibbs slowly raises his head so that he is looking into those precious green eyes.

“Hey” Tim manages to croak out and in that voice Gibbs can still hear the pain that his lover his in and can hear the effects of days of no use.

Looking into those eyes that he could get lost in Gibbs feels the urge to say something.

He feels like he needs to tell Tim that he loves him, that he changed him, chased away his demons, and that he was in it for the long haul. But the words never came, but in this moment Gibbs realizes that he doesn’t need to say them because in the way that Tim motions him forward and kisses him before resuming petting his head, Gibbs realizes that Tim already knows all of that.  
…………………………………………………………………………..

So, in the end Gibbs traded one potentially exceptionally good day-tuned shitty day, for an exceptionally bright one.  
A fair trade Shannon and Kelly think from up above.


End file.
